‘La Cible,’ a Liège-based non-profit set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024, has launched a campaign using three innovative tools to stem the spread of fake news.
Under the campaign, codenamed ‘Decode!’ the organisation is now offering a ‘fake news guide,’ a poster, and a bookmark to equip citizens, particularly younger people, with the necessary tools.
The young are becoming an increasingly appealing target for far-right political parties, which are adapting their tactics to reach this demographic, noted campaign project leaders Zoé Fauconnier and Stéphanie Ardu.
This guide, shaped like a mobile phone, encourages readers to question what they see online before sharing or liking a post. It was conceptualised this year and will be widely distributed in schools, especially in the runup to elections, “when the public is seeking democracy,” Fauconnier said.
Quick response (QR) codes also link to a continually updated website.
In the digital age, where messages spread rapidly due to social media, fighting far-right extremism involves deconstructing their language, commented Joël Thône, president of the non-profit.
The rise of far-right extremism is indeed pronounced, even if less visible in Wallonia, stated Minister Frederic Daerden. He further expressed concern about the electoral outcome in the Netherlands and its potential implications for Belgium next year.
